Finding Warmth
by Bunny Fair
Summary: It was his first serious mission as a Pro. He didn't know what to expect. He certainly didn't expect to bring home someone he rescued
1. Chapter 1

Inasa took a deep breath as he stared at the supposedly abandoned warehouse. According to the paperwork he had read over several times, this was where the victims were being held. Human traffickers, kidnapping and selling women for god knows what.

It'd been a growing problem recently with the development of quirks. Animal-type quirk users were especially targeted. Apparently certain rich people liked abusing them and using them as pets.

It disgusted him. His stomach twisted at the mere thought. He wanted to scream and yell and tear through the building like the living tornado he was.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Now wasn't the time. They had to wait for the disgusting auction to begin. For all the bastards to arrive so they could be put to justice.

Minutes dragged on as several more cars pulled up, too clean and too new. Men stepped out, each one of them wearing a disguise of some sort; masks, sunglasses, hats, trench coats. They walked inside the building, two large armed guards standing on both sides of the door.

Inasa shifted in his spot, his comm buzzing to life in his ear. The police captain softly said, "Ready when you are. We've got your back."

Inasa curled his fingers, wind curling around his feet and lifting him up. "Get ready to move. I'm not wasting any time!"

He surged forward, slamming himself into the bodyguards. He swiftly knocked them both out, slapping cuffs around their wrists before slamming himself through the door. The police force followed closely, pushing inside and shouting their warnings about warrants and such.

Inasa was a whirlwind as he moved around the warehouse, taking out guards while the police captured the rich. He faltered when he saw the cages lined up, wide eyes staring at him from inside and fingers curled around the bars. He swallowed thickly, feeling his stomach threaten to flip.

He jolted back to focus at a gunshot, turning quickly to see one man holding a woman in his arm and a gun pointed at her head. She was almost completely nude except for a thin nightgown. She clung to his arm as it wrapped around her throat, tears streaming down at her cheeks as she looked at Inasa, her wide eyes baring into his.

He swallowed thickly, wind whipping at his cloak. Several police officers pointed their guns carefully at the man. Inasa stared at the woman, his eyes locked on hers.

The man held her close and started backing away. "I already paid for the bitch, she's mine!"

Inasa saw red and felt his wind take over, throwing him forward. He ducked as he was shot at, feeling the bullet graze his shoulder. He slammed himself into the man, knocking the gun away.

He grabbed the woman as she stumbled, her cat tail flicking wildly. She stared up at him and let out a sob, throwing her arms around his neck to hug him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her, glancing over to see the man apprehended.

He shifted and reached up, unbuttoning his cloak before wrapping it around her. She sniffled and blinked as he buttoned it, the fur collar hiding most of her face. He bundled her up in the cloak and guided her to sit against a wall.

He watched as paramedics filed in and the women were released and taken care off. He peeled off the top part of his suit, letting one doctor look over his shoulder. Just a graze, thankfully so no severe damage.

He sat oddly quiet as he was patched up. He straightened up at a yell, looking over to see the cat woman scurrying away from the paramedic. He stood up and zipped up the undersuit, walking over to her.

"Hey! Leave her alone!"

The paramedic held up her hands. "I was only trying to look at her."

Inasa looked down at the woman, seeing her curl into his cloak, one wide eye peering through the fur line. "What do you need to do?"

The paramedic straightened up. "I can't do much now. I just need to do a small blood test, check her heart rate, and her temperature."

Inasa held out his hand. "Walk me through it."

The paramedic nodded and handed over the instruments. Inasa smiled softly at the woman and knelt down, holding out his hands. The woman slowly edged forward and gripped the cloak tightly with one hand, exposing her other hand to stretch out and place in his.

He gently took her hand and blinked at a spark between their fingertips. She gasped softly and jerked her hand back, looking over it quickly. He grinned widely and bit back a laugh, holding his hand out again as he moved closer to her.

One thought lingered in his mind as he took care of her, they had literal sparks flying! If only they'd met under better circumstances.


	2. Chapter 2

Inasa swallowed thickly as he unlocked his apartment door, glancing back at the small woman still wrapped up in his cloak. She'd refused to leave his side and had dissolved into a panic attack when someone mentioned keeping her at the hospital.

It'd taken much coaxing to convince her to get a proper check up and Inasa did what he could to help her through the process. The doc had given him a schedule, a diet, and a small booklet on what to do if anything serious happened. Granted, he was informed to call the hospital if it was anything that had been underlined in red.

He stepped aside as he opened the door, turning on the main light. "Come on in. Do you want a shower?"

She slowly walked in and looked around, her ears sticking up through her dirty hair. She glancing up at him and shifted slightly, her fingers tightening in the cloak. He smiled slightly, shifting to quietly shut the door behind her.

She glanced down and padded inside, looking around the apartment. Her tail flicked under the cloak, visible only because it rubbed against the fabric. it was far too long and dragged behind her.

He shifted and walked to his bedroom, noticing her eyes follow him as he moved. He turned on lights as he went, brightening the clean apartment. She blinked and slowly trailed after him, tilting her head slightly.

He tugged the large glove off and set it on the dresser before opening it to pull out a clean t-shirt and some boxers. They were far too big but they should keep her warm and covered. Better than the barely-there nightgown.

He swallowed down his anger and walked to the bathroom, setting the clothes on the back of the toilet. "You can wear these for the night. Sorry I don't really have any nice shampoo or soap. But, the water's warm and you can get clean."

She lingered in the doorway of the bathroom, still holding the cloak as she watched him turn on the shower. She made no motion of acknowledging what he said, only glancing around the bathroom. At least she wasn't actively hiding in the fur of his cloak anymore, he reasoned.

He set a towel and clean washcloth out before stepping towards her. "Excuse me."

She stepped aside, glancing down when he stepped past, trying to make himself take up less space. She shifted and stepped into the bathroom, reaching one hand out to grab the door handle. He stared as she slowly closed the door, her lips parting as if to speak before closing.

Her shoulders and ears slumped before she closed the door, her eyes downcast.

Inasa curled his fingers when the lock audibly clicked. He took a deep, shuddering breath. No yelling and no lashing out, he silently chanted. It'd just scare her more. No yelling and no lashing out.

Though, he wished he had the chance to beat the fuckers asses who did this.


	3. Chapter 3

Inasa tossed his hero outfit in the washer before digging out a can of soup. He carefully filtered out the broth into a pot before finding a second pot for his own, pouring the left over noodles and small pieces of meat into it. She needed to start with easy foods and sadly, his kitchen was in desperate need of a shopping trip.

He listened as the shower ran, watching the mismatched pots. One had been from a set gifted by Camie, after he had already bought a cheap set after moving in. She stayed in contact surprisngly well after graduating, despite working alongside Ryukyu.

He set two bowls on the counter and dug out some spoons, setting them aside as the shower suddenly stopped. Smiling slightly, he carefully poured the soups into the bowls before carrying them over to the small dining table, the heat stinging his fingertips ever so slightly.

He attempted to set the table nicely, finding a pack of crackers to lay out on a plate in the middle, and setting the spoons on some napkins. He sat down and looked up at soft footsteps padding against the floors. He smiled widely at her, standing up.

She glanced up at him, pushing her hair back. She shifted slightly and inhaled deeply, her stomach growling loudly. Licking her lips, she slowly walked over as he tugged her chair out.

"I don't have much right now, but I thought some nice, warm soup would be good."

She nodded and eyed him closely as she sat down in the chair.

He gently nudged her closer to the table and stepped around to his side, sitting down. "You can have some crackers too. They're good for dipping in the soup."

She nodded and glanced over her bowl and spoon before slowly reaching out to grab a couple of crackers.

He smiled and started eating, glancing up every so often as she slowly dipped her crackers in the broth before nibbling on them. His shirt was way too big on her and she had to tug it repeatedly as it slipped off her shoulder. She kept pushing her hair back too, which went well past her shoulders and was still unbrushed.

He lifted his bowl to drink the remaining broth, relaxing as the warm broth easily slid down his throat. He sighed happily and patted his stomach, relaxing back. "That was good. Do you like it?"

She nodded and finished another cracker, resting her hands in her lap. She licked her lips and softly said, "I do."

He straightened up, a grin spreading as he stared down at her. "You spoke!"

She flinched and sunk back in her seat, glancing down at her bowl.

He scratched the back of his head, his smile faltering as he lowered his voice. "I'm sorry about that. Is there anything you need from the store?"

She shook her head, glancing up as he stood to clean off the table. She reached over for the plate of crackers, tugging it closer to her to nibble on another one. He smiled and set the bowls in the sink, opening his fridge to pull out a bottle of water.

Twisting the cap open, he set it on the table near her. "Will you be okay if I leave you here alone?" At her fearful glance, he quickly added, "Just for a little while, I promise. An hour at the most."

She glanced at the clock on the microwave and sipped some water, nodding. He tilted his head as her jaw trembled and smiled softly as her yawn escaped her. She blinked rapidly and sipped some more water, glancing down.

He smiled and pointed to the bedroom. "Why don't you curl up in my bed and take a nap? You can even take your crackers and water with you."

She nodded and slowly stood up, shakily picking up the plate. He shifted and held out his hand, taking it from her gently. She glanced up at him and grabbed the bottle of water, carrying it with her to the bedroom.

He trailed behind her, carefully brushing past her to set the plate on the nightstand. Turning on the small lamp, he folding the blankets back and patted the clear spot. She shifted and stepped over, sitting down on the spot after he stepped back.

He watched as she set the water on the stand and look over the blankets and pillows. She brushed her fingertips over the blankets and shifted to lay down, resting her head on the pillow as she tugged the blanket up to her chin. She yawned widely and glanced up at him.

He smiled and waved slightly. "I'm gonna go out and get some more soup for you. I'll be back in an hour, probably before you wake up."

She nodded slightly and softly asked, "Promise?"

He nodded firmly. "Promise."

She nodded and settled down, closing her eyes. He shifted and grabbed his jacket from his closet with a pair of socks. He could hear her soft snores before he even got his sneakers on, so he took extra time to silently get his keys off the hook. He left silently, taking a deep breath of the afternoon air as he leaned back against his apartment door.

Wait, what did women usually need? Shit, time to call Camie.


	4. Chapter 4

Inasa held his phone between his cheek and his shoulder, walking through aisles while Camie rambled into his ear. He mumbled his agreements as he looked over some shampoo, sniffing a bottle curiously before adding it in. Nodding firmly, he found the matching conditioner and a similar body wash. All for sensitive skin, of course.

"So, why did you bring her home with you?"

Inasa shrugged, pushing his cart. "She was scared to go with the doctors and nobody else was there. What else was I supposede to do?"

She giggled softly. "You're too sweet, Inasa."

He smiled sheepishly, looking over his items. "It was the right thing to do. Plus, she wouldn't let go of my cloak and I kinda don't have that many to spare."

She hummed softly, tapping her fingers on her phone case. "Uh huh. Well, she sounds like a bit of trouble. Specially for you."

He huffed, grabbing a pack of panties. Hopefully they were close enough to the right size. "What do you mean by that!?"

She giggled. "You yell too much. And you're very animated! It's not a bad thing, but she's gonna be scared of that for a while."

He softly sighed, grabbing some comfy-looking shorts. "I've been good about that, Camie. I've only scared her once!"

She smiled softly, tilting her head. "You're so sweet, Inasa. Well, I gotta go. I got laundry in the washer."

Oh yeah, didn't he leave his clothes in the washer? They'll be done by the time he gets back. "Yup! Talk to you later, thanks!"

He checked the time on his phone before sliding it in his pocket, grabbing a few t-shirts. Just comfy clothes for now. Maybe a jacket? Yeah, something soft and warm like his cloak.

He dug through the racks of jackets, holding them up and feeling the insides of them. He spent several long minutes putting them back roughly and moving onto others. None of them were soft enough!

He could have one made special for her, he silently reasoned. Yeah, he'll just do that. He just needed her measurements and he could ask his department to make it. Besides, he still had to check out and it was getting close to the 40-minute mark.

He quickly went through the checkout and carried his bags out, jogging back to his apartment. It was nice, doing something so very normal as grocery and clothes shopping. It was definitely a long day, despite how short his morning mission had turned out to be.

He unlocked the door and stepped inside, toeing off his shoes and hip-bumping the door shut. Walking to the kitchen, he glanced down the short hall to the bedroom. The lamp was still on and she was awake, staring at him as she nibbled on some crackers.

He smiled politely and set the bags on the counter, unpacking them. "I got you some clothes. I wanted to get you a jacket, but I didn't think you'd like them. They weren't very soft and the soft ones didn't feel like they'd be warm."

He heard her slide off the bed, glancing up to see her walk out, wrapped up in his cloak again. She shifted and glanced over the bags.

Sliding the clothing bags to her, he turned to put the box of crackers up. "Here. I hope the sizes are close."

She tightened her grip on the cloak, her ears flattening at the top of her head.

He frowned and held out his hands to her. "What's wrong? Are you feeling ill? Do I need to take you to the hospital?"

She shook her head slightly and stepped back from him. "What do you want?"

He blinked at her owlishly. "What?"

She glanced up at him, her eyes growing wet and turning pink around the edges. "What do you want? Sex?"

He shook his head quickly. "No! I want to help you, I promise."

She sniffled and looked up at him, shuffling in her spot as she tucked her face back in the fur collar. "I thought heroes were useless and only saved people for favors or money."

He frowned, slowly stepping to her. "Some heroes do only want the fame or paycheck, but not me. I genuinely want to help people who need it. Like you."

She shifted and softly mumbled, "I'm not broken."

His shoulders drooped and his hands faltered from reaching out to her. "No, you're not broken. People hurt you and I want to help you get better."

She nodded slightly and shifted before moving forward, resting her head on his chest. He straightened up and gently held her shoulders, loosely holding her close. She sniffled softly and rubbed her eye.

"My name is Akihime."

He smiled widely, gently squeezing her shoulders before letting go when she shifted to move back. She smiled slightly and reached over for the bags, taking them to the bedroom. He silently fist-bumped the air before blinking at a soft giggle.

She peeked around the corner, smiling widely at him. He smiled sheepishly and flushed, looking away. She giggled softly and ducked back, his cloak dragging behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

Inasa gently rubbed Akihime's back as she hunched over the toilet, smoothing her hair back to dab the damp cloth against her neck. She was paler than usual and sweating but shivering at the same time. He'd woken up not a few minutes earlier, having heard her hit the wall on her way to the bathroom. He stumbled after her, quickly trying to focus as he heard her vomit into the toilet.

He reached over to flush when she heaved for air, her nose and mouth dripping. "It's okay, it's okay. Lemme clean you off."

She sobbed softly and slumped into him as he guided her to lean into his chest, gently wiping her mouth and nose with the cloth before rinsing it under the sink. Curling her fingers in his pants, she hiccuped out, "Sorry. 'M sorry."

He shook his head and wiped under her nose, holding her close as she trembled. "Stop that! It's not your fault. Can you stand up?"

She shook her head, her ears folding flat as she clenched her eyes shut. He nodded and tossed the rag in the sink before gently hooking one arm under her legs. He easily held her as she clung to his shirt, sniffling softly.

He glanced at the clock as he walked to his closet, easily finding his way to the cloak hanging up. Almost three-thirty in the morning. The doctor was more than likely asleep, but the emergency room could look over her.

He walked over to the bed and bent over to set her down, gently coaxing her hands loose from his shirt. "Let me wrap you up so I can take you to the hospital."

She let go and blinked up at him as he buttoned the cloak around her, reaching out to grip his arm when she swayed. He gently scooped her up, bundling her in his cloak once again as he walked to the living room to grab his keys and phone. Toeing on his geta, he stepped out into the cool night air.

He tightened his grip when she shivered and started quickly walking, not wanting to risk flying. "Aki? Can you talk to me? How do you feel? Does anything hurt?"

She nodded slightly, reaching one hand out to poke at her stomach before her head. "Here and here." She paused, her hand faltering as she retracted it into the bundle of cloak. "Everything aches."

He nodded and gently squeezed her, giving her a smile, forced as it felt. "The doctors can fix you up, I'm sure of it. I'll stay with you the entire time, I promise."

She curled her fingers in his shirt, sniffling as her trembling quickened. "Promise?"

He nodded firmly. "I promise."

She nodded slightly, resting her head on his chest and breathing in the cool air. He walked in through the automatic doors and directly to the counter. She couldn't focus on his words, only on the thudding in her own head and the steady thudding in his chest. It was such a nice noise, so consistent.

She blinked up at him when he moved her to lay on a bed. He smiled at her and gently combed his fingers through her hair. She blinked tiredly as his lips moved and mumbled something back to him, reaching out for his hand when the bed was moved away. He grabbed her hand and walked alongside, smiling down at her. She clung to his hand, the pounding in her head louder as her vision grew dark.

His hand squeezed her hand tightly before her grip went limp.


	6. Chapter 6

Inasa bounced his foot rapidly, swirling a few marbles in his hand. The clock on the wall sounded achingly loud in the empty waiting room. The woman tapping at her keyboard looked bored and the nurses that walked by weren't part of the group that took Akihime away.

Taking a deep breath, he held it for several seconds. Slowly releasing it, he squeezed the marbles in his palm. They'd taken her back and he wasn't allowed back until they were done. She looked scared when she was taken back.

Scared and small and sick. She'd clung to his cloak and he imagined she was still holding it, despite whatever tests they were running. Her ears were folded back and her eyes stayed locked on his before the doors swung close.

He straightened up at heavier footsteps and stood, blurting out, "Is she okay?!"

The doctor straightened up and nodded, waving his hand slightly. "Please, lower your voice sir. Yes, she is currently resting. We ran a few tests and the results should be finished by tomorrow."

Inasa visibly slumped, his face softening. "Can I... see her? She doesn't like going to new places and seeing a lot of new people. It scares her."

The doctor nodded and flipped through his notes. "She's in room 301. I ask that you keep your voice down and you can stay the night."

Inasa nodded, turning on his heel to walk to the elevator. Pressing the button for the third floor, he let out a heavy breath as he slumped back against the cool, metal wall. She was okay.

He pressed a hand to his eyes, clenching them shut. She was going to be okay, he silently swore. He was going to make sure she would be okay.

He straightened up when the elevator stopped and walked out, glancing at the door numbers until he found 301. Slowly opening the door, he stepped inside the dim room. He swallowed thickly and shut the door back, the only noise being the heart monitor attached to her.

Akihime was still bundled in his cloak, the fur tucked neatly under her chin as it was situated lower than usual. She laid still on the bed, both of the railings up; for her safety, he reasoned. An IV led into her arm, medicine slowly dripping into her.

He shuffled over and pulled the chair closer, sitting heavily in it. Reaching out, he gently took her right hand. He gently squeezed her hand and rested his head on the bed, glancing up at her.

She would be okay. He would make sure of that. She would heal.


End file.
